Infinitive (imperfective): сто́млюватися — "to get tired, to tire (as a process)" Perfective partner: стоми́тися — "to get tired, to wear oneself out (a completed state)" Type: a reflexive -ся verb; the cause is від + genitive Variant: the prefixed втоми́тися / вто́млюватися is an equally standard everyday synonym
стоми́тися is the everyday verb for becoming tired. It is worth a B1 page for one form above all: the perfective 1sg стомлю́ся. The root ends in the labial consonant м, and Ukrainian inserts an -л- before the -ю ending of the 1sg (and the 3pl) — м → мл — giving стомлю́ся, not "стомиша" or "стомюся". This labial + л alternation runs through a whole class of second-conjugation verbs (люби́ти → люблю́, купи́ти → куплю́, роби́ти → роблю́), and стомлю́ся is its highest-frequency reflexive example. Get this one form right and you have the pattern. Stress is marked on every form.
Present tense — imperfective сто́млюватися (stem-stressed)
Only the imperfective has a present tense. The -ува- suffix contracts to -у- (the regular -увати pattern), and the stress sits on the first syllable сто́- throughout. The -ся attaches after the ending.
| Person | сто́млюватися — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | сто́млююся | I get tired / I'm tiring |
| ти | сто́млюєшся | you get tired (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | сто́млюється | he / she / it gets tired |
| ми | сто́млюємося | we get tired |
| ви | сто́млюєтеся | you get tired (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | сто́млюються | they get tired |
The imperfective present describes a repeated or ongoing tiring: Я шви́дко сто́млююся ввечері "I tire quickly in the evenings." For the single completed "I got tired / I'm worn out," switch to the perfective стоми́тися — which has no present.
Я сто́млююся від до́вгих нара́д, наві́ть якщо́ мені́ ціка́во.
I get tired during long meetings, even when I find them interesting. (Habitual imperfective сто́млююся + від + genitive нара́д.)
Ді́ти сто́млюються вже за годи́ну гра́ння надво́рі.
The kids get tired after just an hour of playing outside. (3pl сто́млюються — repeated, predictable tiring.)
Perfective future — стоми́тися (the стомлю́ся set)
The perfective стоми́тися has no present; its conjugated forms are the simple future "will get tired." This is where the м→мл alternation lives: the 1sg стомлю́ся and the 3pl сто́мляться carry the -л-, the rest do not. Note the stress swing: the 1sg is end-stressed (стомлю́ся), but from the 2sg on the stress retracts to the root (сто́мишся, сто́миться…).
| Person | стоми́тися — FUTURE | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | стомлю́ся | I'll get tired |
| ти | сто́мишся | you'll get tired |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | сто́миться | he / she / it will get tired |
| ми | сто́мимося | we'll get tired |
| ви | сто́митеся | you'll get tired |
| вони́ | сто́мляться | they'll get tired |
The aspect contrast is real: imperfective сто́млюватися = tiring as a process or habit; perfective стоми́тися = reaching the state of being tired, the single completed event. Не перепрацьо́вуй — стомишся "Don't overwork — you'll wear yourself out." This is the regular aspect future.
Якщо́ підеш пішки́ ці́лий день, си́льно стомлю́ся… тобто́ стоми́шся.
If you walk all day, I'll get very tired… I mean you'll get tired. (Perfective future: 1sg стомлю́ся with м→мл vs 2sg сто́мишся without.)
Сядь відпочи́нь, бо ще ра́но, а ти вже сто́мишся.
Sit and rest, because it's still early and you'll already be worn out. (Perfective future сто́мишся — root-stressed.)
Past tense — стоми́вся / стоми́лася (gendered)
The past is regular, end-stressed on стоми́-, with the gendered -вся / -лася / -лося / -лися endings (-ся after the gender marker). The perfective past is the everyday "I got tired / I'm tired" — Ukrainian often uses this completed past where English uses the adjective "tired."
| Gender / number | сто́млюватися (impf) | стоми́тися (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | сто́млювався | стоми́вся |
| feminine | сто́млювалася | стоми́лася |
| neuter | сто́млювалося | стоми́лося |
| plural | сто́млювалися | стоми́лися |
Match the gender: a man says я стоми́вся, a woman я стоми́лася. The whole perfective past is suffix-stressed on стоми́- (стоми́вся, стоми́лася, стоми́лося, стоми́лися) — the accent does not move between genders here.
Я так стоми́вся за ти́ждень, що проспа́в усі́ вихідні́.
I got so tired over the week that I slept through the whole weekend. (Perfective past стоми́вся — male speaker.)
Вона́ стоми́лася і про́сто хоті́ла, щоб усі́ да́ли їй спо́кій.
She was tired and just wanted everyone to leave her alone. (Perfective past стоми́лася — female subject.)
Imperative
The imperative is most common in the negative ("don't tire yourself out") and the reflexive warning. Note the perfective 2pl стомі́ться, where the imperative ending -ть fuses with the reflexive -ся into -ться.
| Addressee | сто́млюватися (impf) | стоми́тися (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | (не) сто́млюйся | (не) стоми́ся |
| ви (formal / plural) | (не) сто́млюйтеся | (не) стомі́ться |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й сто́млюється | хай / неха́й сто́миться |
Не сто́млюйся че́рез дрібни́ці — побереже́ си́ли на головне́.
Don't wear yourself out over trifles — save your strength for what matters. (Negated imperfective imperative не сто́млюйся.)
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | сто́млюватися / стоми́тися |
|---|---|
| past active participle / adjective | вто́млений / сто́млений "tired" |
| imperfective verbal adverb | сто́млюючись "(while) getting tired" |
| perfective verbal adverb | стоми́вшись "having got tired" |
The adjective вто́млений (and its variant сто́млений) "tired" is extremely common as a predicate — Я вто́млений / вто́млена "I'm tired" — agreeing in gender like any adjective, and is often the most natural way to say "I'm tired" without a verb at all. The verbal adverbs are (literary / written).
Він прийшо́в додо́му вто́млений, але́ задово́лений.
He came home tired but content. (Predicate adjective вто́млений — the everyday 'tired'.)
Government — від + genitive (the cause)
The cause of the tiredness is expressed with від + genitive: стоми́тися від робо́ти "to get tired from work," від спе́ки "from the heat," від до́вгої доро́ги "from the long journey." This від is "from (a source / cause)" — the standard way Ukrainian links a state to what produced it. See the genitive and the government overview.
Ми всі́ стоми́лися від невизна́ченості — хо́четься вже яко́їсь я́сності.
We're all tired of the uncertainty — we just want some clarity. (від + genitive невизна́ченості, the cause.)
Очі боля́ть, бо сто́млююся від екра́на за день.
My eyes hurt because I get tired from the screen over the day. (Imperfective сто́млююся + від + genitive екра́на.)
втоми́тися / стоми́тися — two prefixes, one meaning
A practical note: alongside стоми́тися (prefix с-) you will hear and read втоми́тися (prefix в-) just as often — Я втоми́вся and Я стоми́вся both mean "I got tired," and the conjugation is identical (втомлю́ся, вто́мишся… with the same м→мл). Dictionaries treat them as equal standard variants; choose either and stay consistent within a sentence. The derived adjective is вто́млений far more commonly than сто́млений, which is why "tired" as a state usually surfaces with в-.
Після́ переле́ту ми так втоми́лися, що засну́ли, щойно́ дійшли́ до готе́лю.
After the flight we got so tired that we fell asleep the moment we reached the hotel. (Variant втоми́тися — same meaning and conjugation as стоми́тися.)
Figurative "tired of" — стоми́тися від + abstract noun
Beyond physical tiredness, стоми́тися від reaches easily into the figurative "to be tired of / weary of" something abstract — стоми́тися від нескінче́нних обіця́нок "to be tired of endless promises," від суєти́ "of the bustle." The від + genitive frame is the same; only the cause becomes abstract. This is the everyday way to voice emotional weariness, often softened with тро́хи "a little" or intensified with стра́шенно "terribly."
Я стра́шенно стоми́лася від пості́йних супере́чок про одне́ й те са́ме.
I'm terribly tired of the constant arguments about the same thing. (Figurative стоми́тися від + abstract genitive супере́чок.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Я стомлю́ від робо́ти.
Missing -ся — without it, the verb means 'to tire SOMEONE ELSE' (стоми́ти + accusative). To get tired yourself, keep -ся: Я стомлю́ся від робо́ти.
✅ Я стомлю́ся, якщо́ не відпочи́ну.
I'll get tired if I don't rest.
❌ Я стомю́ся від робо́ти.
Missing the м→мл insertion — the perfective 1sg inserts -л- after the labial м: it is стомлю́ся, not 'стомю́ся': Я стомлю́ся від робо́ти.
✅ Я стомлю́ся від робо́ти.
I'll get tired from work.
❌ Я стоми́вся з робо́ти.
Wrong preposition for the cause — tiredness comes ВІД something, not 'з': Я стоми́вся від робо́ти. (з + genitive marks origin/material, not the cause of a state here.)
✅ Я стоми́вся від робо́ти.
I got tired from work.
❌ Вона́ стоми́вся.
Agreement error — the past agrees with gender; a female subject takes стоми́лася: Вона́ стоми́лася.
✅ Вона́ стоми́лася.
She got tired.
❌ Я бу́ду стоми́тися за́втра.
Aspect/future error — the perfective стоми́тися already forms its own future (стомлю́ся); бу́ду takes only the imperfective: За́втра я стомлю́ся (or бу́ду сто́млюватися).
✅ За́втра я стомлю́ся.
I'll get tired tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- The headline form: perfective 1sg стомлю́ся "I'll get tired" — the labial м inserts -л- (м→мл), like люблю́, куплю́, роблю́; it returns in the 3pl сто́мляться.
- Stress swing in the perfective future: end-stressed 1sg стомлю́ся, then root-stressed сто́мишся / сто́миться / сто́мимося / сто́митеся.
- Imperfective present is stem-stressed: сто́млююся / сто́млюєшся / сто́млюється…
- Past: стоми́вся / стоми́лася / стоми́лося / стоми́лися — gendered; match the speaker.
- Government: the cause is від + genitive (стоми́тися від робо́ти), never "з".
- Don't drop the -ся (or you say "tire someone else"), and remember the everyday adjective вто́млений / сто́млений "tired."
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- The Many Meanings of -сяB1 — A deep dive into what -ся actually does. Five jobs: REFLEXIVE (Він ми́ється 'washes himself'), RECIPROCAL (Вони́ сва́ряться 'they quarrel'), PASSIVE/MIDDLE (Кни́га легко́ чита́ється 'the book reads easily', Як це пи́шеться? 'how is this spelled?'), INHERENT (смія́тися, боя́тися+gen, надія́тися), and MEANING-CHANGING pairs where -ся flips the sense entirely: вчи́ти 'teach' → вчи́тися 'learn', знахо́дити 'find' → знахо́дитися 'be located', розхо́дитися 'disperse'. The big lesson: -ся is a multifunctional derivational tool, not just 'oneself' — so a verb's with-/without-ся forms must be learned as two different verbs, some take the genitive, and the passive -ся needs no agent.
- Verb Government: Which Case for the ObjectB1 — Most Ukrainian verbs take an accusative object (читаю книгу), but a large core group governs the dative (дякую тобі, допомагаю мамі), the genitive (боюся темряви, потребую допомоги), or the instrumental (керую фірмою, ціка́влюся історією) — and the governed case is a fixed lexical property of each verb that English speakers must memorise, because none of these behave like English transitives.
- Genitive: Possession and 'of'A2 — How Ukrainian shows possession and the English 'of' relationship — by putting the owner in the genitive AFTER the thing owned (кни́га бра́та 'the brother's book', центр мі́ста 'the centre of the city'), with no apostrophe-s and no separate word for 'of', and with the WHOLE possessor phrase declining (маши́на мого́ дру́га), contrasted with possessive pronouns like мій/твій that agree instead.
- Verbal Aspect: The Big PictureA2 — Aspect is the central, pervasive feature of the Ukrainian verb: nearly every verb belongs to an aspect PAIR — imperfective (недоко́наний вид), which views an action as a process, ongoing, repeated, or general (чита́ти), and perfective (доко́наний вид), which views it as a single completed whole with a result or boundary (прочита́ти). The consequences are sharp: imperfectives have a present, a past, and BOTH futures (бу́ду чита́ти / чита́тиму); perfectives have NO present — their present-shaped form is future (прочита́ю = 'I will read it through') — only a past (прочита́в) and a simple future (прочита́ю). Aspect is chosen for EVERY verb in EVERY clause; it is not optional, and it has no English equivalent.
- Present Tense: Second ConjugationA1 — The second conjugation (друга дієвідміна) takes the present endings -у/-ю, -иш/-їш, -ить/-їть, -имо/-їмо, -ите/-їте, -ать/-ять, built on the theme vowel -и-/-ї- with a 3pl in -ать/-ять. Drill three models: regular говори́ти (говорю́, гово́риш, гово́рить… гово́рять), labial+л in the 1sg люби́ти (люблю́, лю́биш… лю́блять), and dental mutation in the 1sg ходи́ти (ходжу́, хо́диш… хо́дять) and ба́чити (ба́чу, ба́чиш… ба́чать — -ать, not -ять, after the hushing ч). The key insight: the mutation is confined to the я-form.
- Verb Reference: Дивуватися / Здивуватися (to be surprised)B2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for дивува́тися / здивува́тися 'to be surprised, to wonder (at)' — a reflexive -ся verb with a striking stress swing (present диву́юся, past дивува́вся). Covers the government з + genitive and the bare dative of the cause (дивува́тися новині́ / з новини́), the contrast with the non-reflexive дивува́ти 'to surprise someone' (accusative), and the gendered past дивува́вся / здивува́лася.